Summer isn't just about refreshing our soul; it's also about refreshing and energizing our mind. Disconnecting from our routines and tasks to find small stretches of refreshment in our summer will reap huge benefits when fall rolls around and we find ourselves knee-deep in the busyness of life. I don't know about you but my priorities tend to get out of whack the busier I get. When this happens, it's like a domino effect. I get weary, cranky and I complain about the smallest things. I snap at the people closest to me and focus on what's wrong in my life instead of all that is good and right. And truth...well, when my busyness has gotten the best of me, truth gets distorted and hope often evades even my saner moments. Our brains need to disconnect into nothingness. Where thoughts Continue Reading
Parenting Children in Who God Created Them to Be
Parenting isn't easy! The answers are rarely clear and the task of soul shaping doesn't include a step by step manual anyone can follow. It's rigorous and tiring and daunting. And it takes unimaginable courage and sacrifice over a lifetime. But it's also the adventure of a lifetime. One that sends our adrenaline shooting with each accomplishment and our tears flowing with every cute and contagious heart tug. We watch the life entrusted to our care. The wonder of every breath. And we hope... they will grow in character and strength they'll develop compassion and kindness their hearts will be honest and generous and good We hope our children will become all we imagine... and more than we can possibly imagine. Their dreams become our dreams, and we become the keeper Continue Reading
7 Steps to Become an Intentional Hope-Gifter
How well would you rate yourself as a gifter? I used to be pretty good at it, but through the years as life has squeezed and time has pinched, I’ve not done such a great job in this area. "Last minute" seems to be my modus operandi. Why a post on gift giving? Well, I’m really feeling the crunch with graduations, weddings, baby showers and birthdays all hitting within a couple months of each other. For many years I kept a shelf in my closet filled with gifts I found throughout the year, but too many years have gone by while the shelf sits empty. I’m tired of playing catch-up, always behind, and gift giving is a big area in which I want to be more intentional. But more than all of this, I'm feeling the nudge to move beyond my world and into someone else's. In a world filled with Continue Reading
When We Need Help Anticipating Advent
Anticipation is such a gift! Every year we join the world in celebrating Advent and counting down the arrival of Christmas…the arrival of the King of the World. We offer up our very best in preparing our homes and our families for the celebration of the One who holds our future. Through the busyness of the season, we do our best to anticipate and grab hold of the meaning of Christmas. In years past, I’ve often felt as if I’m missing some aspect of this anticipating. As though there’s an unidentifiable disconnect, separated by distance and time. It’s as if there’s been some small void in wrapping my head fully around the coming King – until this year. Are you experiencing a void this Advent? Join me over at my friend, Jill Hoven's blog, where I'll tell you the rest of the story and Continue Reading